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Rob Scuderi
| birth_place = Syosset, NY, USA | draft = 134th overall | draft_year = 1998 | draft_team = Pittsburgh Penguins | career_start = 2001 }} Robert John Scuderi (born December 30, 1978) is an American professional ice hockey defenceman who currently plays for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League. Playing career Amateur Scuderi attended St. Anthony's High School in South Huntington, New York, graduating in 1997. After high school, Scuderi attended Boston College, where he played four seasons for the Eagles. Following his freshman season, when he tallied 24 assists in 42 games, he was drafted in the 5th round, 134th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft. However, he remained at BC for three more years. At the end of his collegiate career he held the Eagles' record for most games played, tallying 169 appearances for the team. He played his final game in the 2001 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament championship game, which BC won 3–2 in overtime. Pittsburgh Penguins In 2001, Scuderi began his professional career in the American Hockey League with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the Pittsburgh Penguins' minor league farm team. That season he played in 75 games, recording a goal and 22 assists. Scuderi played in his first NHL game during the 2003–04 season. After gaining 3 points in 13 games in Pittsburgh he spent the 2004–05 season in the AHL due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout. His second NHL season, the 2005–06 season was a struggle as he contributed to just 4 points in 56 games, but his reliability as a stay-at-home blue-liner meant that he earned a permanent position in Pittsburgh for the 2006–07 season, appearing in 78 games, scoring a goal and ten assists. On February 2, 2008, Scuderi played his 200th career NHL game versus the Carolina Hurricanes. Also on October 4, 2008 Scuderi ended a 120-game scoreless streak in Stockholm, Sweden versus the Ottawa Senators, when he scored a tying goal to get the Penguins into an overtime situation; they later won the game. On April 19, 2009, Scuderi recorded his first career playoff goal against the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. During the 2009 Playoffs, Scuderi's Penguins teammates rechristened him with the nickname "The Piece", after he misspoke during an interview when he referred to himself as "the missing piece" to the puzzle, intending to say that he was "a piece" to the puzzle. He had previously been known simply as "Scuds", a shortening of his surname. On June 12, 2009, Scuderi won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Scuderi made a crucial play late in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals, with the Penguins hanging on to a 2–1 lead over the Detroit Red Wings. Scuderi stopped a shot at a wide open net by Johan Franzén with his stick, then stopped Franzén again with his skate. Scuderi became the first Long Island native to have his name engraved on the Stanley Cup. Los Angeles Kings On July 2, 2009, Scuderi was signed by the Los Angeles Kings to a four-year, $13.6 million dollar contract. He debuted for the Kings on October 3, 2009 and tallied his first point, an assist to Ryan Smyth, in a Los Angeles uniform in an October 8, 2009 Kings win versus the Minnesota Wild. Personal life Scuderi grew up in Bethpage, New York. Rob is married to Courtney and has 2 kids; son Ryan and daughter Kate.http://downloads.kings.nhl.com/emag/1011/index.html Career statistics References External links * * Category:Born in 1978 Category:American ice hockey players Category:Boston College Eagles players Category:Los Angeles Kings players Category:Pittsburgh Penguins draft picks Category:Pittsburgh Penguins players Category:Stanley Cup champions Category:Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins players